Government to pilot Expatriate Debit Card from mid-August

The government will launch the pilot project of the ‘Expatriate Card’ within the next month. In the first phase, initiatives have been taken to introduce an expatriate debit card.

This decision was made at a meeting on the Expatriate Card, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday (July 18) afternoon, said Prime Minister's Office Deputy Press Secretary Shadawat Swadhin .

He said the decisions were taken at the meeting on the Expatriate Card chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The card will have special benefits for expatriates. The government's objective in providing this card is to offer social dignity, empowerment, financial incentives, and international payment and banking facilities through a dual-currency card .

As part of election commitments, the government has already begun implementing the Family Card, Farmers Card and Sports Card. The Expatriate Card is also an election commitment of the government, and this pilot programme is being launched as part of that .

The Deputy Press Secretary said expatriates will receive various benefits through the card. These include: complimentary airport lounge access and fast-track service through special immigration booths both at home and abroad, complimentary meet-and-greet service at international airports, discounts on air tickets and hotel bookings, fair-priced car booking and signature card airport pick-and-drop service, expatriate service booths at government hospitals and discount benefits at private ones, free transportation of bodies in case of a cardholder's death, rehabilitation opportunities and insurance benefits for returnees, and priority in land registration, mutation, utilities, licensing and foreign investment.

Additionally, remittance reward points, credit scoring and loan facilities, easy transactions including direct money transfers through the card, priority in NID, passport and consular services, and other benefits provided by banks and the government.

Shadawat Swadhin said the Expatriate Card will be piloted in the middle of next month. In the first phase, expatriate debit cards will be issued through Janata Bank. The meeting set a target of distributing 50,000 cards by December and 200,000 expatriate cards by June next year.

In the second phase, all activities related to the Expatriate Card will be carried out through the Expatriate Welfare Bank.

The Deputy Press Secretary said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed concerned officials to make the National Skills Development Authority timely and modern. He also said the Prime Minister asked officials to ensure that all Bangladeshi expatriates around the world come under the coverage of the card.

The meeting was attended by Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, State Minister Nurul Haque Noor, Prime Minister's Advisers Rehan Asif Asad and Mahdi Amin, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Mokhtar Ahmed, Prime Minister's Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan, BMET Director General Jamil Ahmed, along with other senior officials.